Baby Games and Activities for 6 to 12 Months, Month by Month

Why simple games matter

• In the second half of the first year, babies learn that hidden things still exist, that their actions cause results, and that people take turns. Everyday games practice all three.
• Follow your baby's lead. Stop when they turn away, arch or fuss; that's their way of saying enough.

6 to 8 months

• Peekaboo, version 1: cover your face with your hands or a cloth and reappear. Then let them pull the cloth off your face.
• Raspberries and copycat: blow a raspberry, pause, and wait for them to try. Copy their babbles back.
• Bouncing rhymes: baby sitting on your knees, a gentle bounce with a dip at the end.
• Drop and fetch: sitting in the high chair, they drop the spoon; you hand it back. It's a physics lesson, not a test of your patience.
• Shake and listen: a sealed bottle of rice or a set of measuring cups to bang and shake.

8 to 10 months

• Hide the toy: let them watch you put a toy under a cloth or cup, then find it. Next, try two cups.
• Fill and dump: blocks or balls into a bowl, then tip them out. Over and over.
• Cushion crawl: pillows and couch cushions on the floor to climb over, with you spotting.
• Chase: crawl after them saying "I'm gonna get you." Then let them chase you.
• Pat-a-cake and action songs: clapping, waving, rolling hands. Babies start joining in.
• Where's the baby? Hide behind a door or chair and pop out. This helps with separation anxiety too.

10 to 12 months

• Roll the ball: sit facing each other with legs apart and roll a soft ball back and forth.
• So big: "How big is baby?" and lift their arms up.
• Point and name: point to pictures in a book, the dog, a light, and name them. Wait for them to point too.
• Stacking cups and towers: you build, they knock down, then they try.
• Water play: cups and a small amount of water in a tub, with an adult within arm's reach the whole time.

Making it work for every family

• Games and songs from your own culture and home language are perfect. Grandparents often know the best ones.
• Older siblings can lead peekaboo, build towers and roll the ball (see the play by age guide).
• A parent with limited mobility can play many of these sitting or lying down; the baby comes to you.

Safety

• Anything that fits through a toilet-paper tube is a choking risk. Seal shaker bottles with tape and check them often.
• Never leave a baby alone near water, even an inch or two.
• Screens aren't play at this age; the AAP advises none under 18 months other than video chats.

When to check in

• Mention it at the next checkup if, by 9 months, your baby doesn't look when you call their name, doesn't babble, or doesn't look for a toy that's hidden; or if, by 12 months, they don't play simple games like pat-a-cake or wave.
• Bring up any loss of skills soon.